Laser ablation based fuel ignition

Abstract

There is provided a method of fuel/oxidizer ignition comprising: (a) application of laser light to a material surface which is absorptive to the laser radiation; (b) heating of the material surface with the laser light to produce a high temperature ablation plume which emanates from the heated surface as an intensely hot cloud of vaporized surface material; and (c) contacting the fuel/oxidizer mixture with the hot ablation cloud at or near the surface of the material in order to heat the fuel to a temperature sufficient to initiate fuel ignition.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. An ignition method comprising: (a) application of laser light to a material surface which is absorptive to laser radiation;   (b) heating of said material surface with light from said laser to produce a high temperature ablation plume which emanates from said surface as an ablation cloud of vaporized surface material; and   (c) contacting said ablation cloud at or near said surface of said material with a fuel in order to heat said fuel to a temperature sufficient to initiate fuel ignition.   
     
     
       2. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein said fuel is a fuel/oxidizer mixture. 
     
     
       3. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein said target material is graphite. 
     
     
       4. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein said target material is an alloy of cerium and iron. 
     
     
       5. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein said laser light has a wavelength in the range from about 0.19 microns to about 11 microns. 
     
     
       6. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein said laser light is a pulsed laser light having a pulse length in the range from about 10 picoseconds to about 200 nanoseconds. 
     
     
       7. An ignition method comprising: (a) application of laser light to a target material having a surface which is absorptive to laser radiation;   (b) heating of said absorptive surface with light from said laser to produce an ablation plume which emanates from the opposite surface of said target material as an ablation cloud of vaporized surface material; and   (c) contacting said ablation cloud at or near said opposite surface of said material with a fuel in order to heat said fuel to a temperature sufficient to initiate fuel ignition.   
     
     
       8. A method as recited in claim 7 wherein said opposite surface is coated with an ablative material. 
     
     
       9. A method as recited in claim 8 wherein said ablative material is a component of said fuel. 
     
     
       10. A method as recited in claim 8 wherein said ablative material is graphite. 
     
     
       11. A method as recited in claim 8 wherein said ablative material is an alloy of cerium and iron. 
     
     
       12. A method as recited in claim 7 wherein said fuel is a fuel/oxidizer mixture. 
     
     
       13. A method as recited in claim 7 wherein said laser light has a wavelength in the range from about 0.19 microns to about 11 microns. 
     
     
       14. A method as recited in claim 7 wherein said laser light is a pulsed laser light having a pulse length in the range from about 10 picoseconds to about 200 nanoseconds.